Marathi Only Please

In an age where globalization and international integration have become the mainstream and a basic requirement to maintain a competitive edge, the state of Maharashtra continues to move in the opposite direction as if it were determined to move back to the middle ages and isolate itself from the rest of the world. As reported in the TOI today, the Congress-NCP govt has mandated a series of new rules that frankly I find quite hard to logically comprehend. The govt has stated that nameplates of all commercial establishments should be in Marathi, 80% of all jobs created must be filled by locals and the use of marathi will be mandatory in lower courts and government offices. So it is now possible that you might have disciplinary action taken against you for speaking in hindi in a government office in Maharashtra.

Ironically, this is the state that is home to Mumbai, my native city, and home to the most culturally diverse melting point in the country. It seems that these actions are nothing more than a reaction to the insecurity of the local population which has recently vehemently protested against the influx of immigrants in to the city and the state. But history has time and again proven that the immigration of labor into a city, state or country provides more indirect benefit than direct problems. Unfortunately, this is usually not intuitive and very rarely understood by the layman. The government however should know better but apparently that does not appear to be the case. Instead of moving towards a more integrated India, it seems like the Congress government in Maharashtra is trying to cut itself off from the rest of the country to protect its own interests and vote-banks. The mere concept of controlling migration flow at the state level seems to be contradictory to the whole concept of being a single unified country.

It is one thing to protect the interests of the state and to preserve the state's tradition and culture. But such extensive hostility towards the rest of the nation does not bear well for neither the state nor the country. The Maharashtra state can only benefit from the influx of outsiders as any person who migrates in search of better opportunities is usually more likely to positively contribute to society and the economy than a local person who has shown no motivation to improve his standard of living.

When we will see our politicians tackle the real issues and develop concrete solutions to fix the problems that our country faces is a timeless question. Time and again I read such news and wonder how many days and weeks were spent debating this senseless issue that provides no real benefit to our community and country. That is unfortunately the sad state of politics in India.